Cabinet

The National Archives annual release of Cabinet records occurs on 1 January each year.

Few Commonwealth records cover such a broad sweep of Australian history or touch the lives of so many Australians as those of the federal Cabinet. For example you can find Cabinet decisions about:

the first Anzac Day public holiday in 1916

Western Australia’s movement to secede from the Commonwealth

confirmation or commutation of death sentences

expeditions to Antarctica

the arrest and deportation of Bolsheviks

the end of conscription in 1972

the resettlement of refugees from Vietnam

construction of the new and permanent Parliament House in Canberra.

Access to Cabinet records

Cabinet records and Cabinet notebooks are accessible through the National Archives.

Under changes to the public access provisions of the Archives Act 1983 approved by Parliament in May 2010, the open access period for most Australian Government records (including Cabinet records) will commence after 20 years instead of 30 years. The change will be phased in over the next 10 years with the closed period reducing by two years on 1 January each year until 2020. In 2015 Cabinet records up to and including 1989 are in the open access period.

The open access period for Cabinet notebooks has also changed. Cabinet notebooks, which had previously been available after 50 years, will now be released after 30 years. This change will also be phased in over 10 years with the closed period reducing by three years on 1 January each year. In 2015 Cabinet notebooks up to and including 1974 are in the open access period.